Vermont Business Magazine Airbnb announced today that its Vermont hosts earned a combined $20.4 million in supplemental income while welcoming approximately 139,400 guest arrivals to the state this summer, from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day. Airbnb said the summer results follow a similarly successful ski season in Vermont earlier this year, with ski communities welcoming approximately 123,600 guest arrivals and local hosts earning a total of approximately $22.3 million in supplemental income. A number of Vermont towns and cities, including Rochester, Richmond and Richford, marked their biggest weekend for Airbnb ever during this past ski season.

Chittenden County generated the most Airbnb summer business with over $5 million, with Lamoille next at over $3 million and Rutland and Washington counties next at $2 million.

“Throughout the summer of 2019, we have continued to see the significant, positive impact of our short-term rental community across Vermont. With more guest arrivals this summer than ever before, hosts and small businesses have been able to enjoy the opportunities created by an expanded tourism economy, while the State has benefited from additional tax revenue as a result of this growth,” said Josh Meltzer, Head of Northeast Public Policy. “As we mark yet another historic summer and look ahead, we hope to keep working with State government, as well as towns and cities statewide, to ensure short-term rentals can continue to play a strong role in the entire Vermont economy.”

The top five city destinations for Airbnb guests to Vermont this summer were, in order: Burlington, Rutland, Stowe, Montpelier and Lyndon.

The top five origin cities for Vermont’s Airbnb guests were, in order: New York City, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Montréal, Quebec; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Burlington, Vermont, demonstrating the popularity of Airbnb among Vermont residents looking to explore their own state. As of July 2019, approximately 171,900 Vermont residents used Airbnb to travel over the past year.

In addition to helping hosts earn important supplemental income, Airbnb also helps generate revenue for local economies around the world. According to an Airbnb survey of more than 35,000 responses from our host and guest community in the United States**:

• 92 percent of Airbnb hosts say they recommend restaurants and cafes to guests.

• 56 percent of Airbnb hosts say they recommend cultural activities such as museums, festivals, and historical sites to guests.

• 55 percent of Airbnb hosts say hosting has helped them afford their homes.

• On average, Airbnb guests say 41 percent of their spending occurs in the neighborhood where they stay.

Unlike other business models that siphon the money they generate out of communities, Airbnb activity directly benefits the communities our hosts call home. Since Airbnb was founded, hosts keep 97 percent and have earned over $65 billion sharing their homes that many use to pay the bills and pursue their passions.

What follows is an overview of summer 2019 guest arrivals and total host income, broken down by county.

About Airbnb
Founded in 2008, Airbnb exists to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere, providing healthy travel that is local, authentic, diverse, inclusive and sustainable. Airbnb uniquely leverages technology to economically empower millions of people around the world to unlock and monetize their spaces, passions and talents to become hospitality entrepreneurs. Airbnb’s accommodation marketplace provides access to 6+ million unique places to stay in 100,000+ cities and 191+ countries and regions. With Experiences, Airbnb offers unprecedented access to local communities and interests through 40,000+ unique, handcrafted activities run by hosts across 1,000+ markets around the world. Airbnb’s people-to-people platform benefits all its stakeholders, including hosts, guests, employees and the communities in which it operates.

Source: Airbnb 9.5.2019